Presentazione

D-UA: Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee

The European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee (D-UA) is responsible for developing relations with the parliament of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada.

As the name of the Delegation indicates, a specific forum - a "Parliamentary Association Committee" - has been established to bring together elected representatives of both parliaments.

The Committee met for the first time in February 2015, a few months after the European Parliament named the members of the Delegation to the Committee, in September 2014.

In the few years since its inauguration, the Delegation - like the Committee it participates in - has become a major, visible forum for debate on Ukraine and EU-Ukraine relations.

Members and Chair

The European Parliament's Delegation counts 16 full members, supported by a strong cohort of substitute members.

The Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation is Mr. Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, a Polish Member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. in the Parliament. He is supported by two Vice-Chairs: Ms. Viola VON CRAMON - TAUBADEL, a German Member of the Group of the Greens and Mr. Traian BASESCU, a Romanian Member of the Group of European People's Party.
As Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation, Mr. Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI is also co-chair of the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee. Mr. Vadym HALAICHUK, , member of the Verkhovna Rada, is the co-chair.

Delegation work

The Delegation meets regularly in Brussels and Strasbourg. Since 2020, in light of the epidemiological restrictions in the EU and Ukraine, the Delegation has organised its meetings remotely, via videoconference.

The Delegation hosts exchanges of views and hearings dedicated to developments in Ukraine and in EU-Ukraine relations, and works hand-in-hand with other bodies of the European Parliament, e.g. through joint meetings or joints initiatives, including with:

  • the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
  • the Committee on International Trade,
  • the Sub-Committee on Human Rights,
  • the Sub-Committee on Security and Defence,
  • the Committee on Legal Affairs,
  • the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group.

The Delegation also cooperates with other EU institutions and services working on Ukrainian issues, namely:

  • the European External Action Service, including the European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM),
  • the EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform established by the Association Agreement,
  • the Committee of the Regions and its Ukraine Taskforce,
  • the European Commission - in particular the Support Group for Ukraine in DG NEAR for the implementation of essential reform priorities set in the AA/ DCFTA and DG ECHO for the humanitarian issues.

When there are important developments affecting Ukraine or EU-Ukraine relations, the Delegation's Chair often publishes statements.

The Parliamentary Association Committee

The Parliamentary Association Committee has met regularly, at least twice a year since it was formed, most recently in November 2021. Venues have alternated between Ukraine and the European Parliament's premises in either Strasbourg, or Brussels. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the last two meetings of the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee were held remotely.

As the Committee's final recommendations reveal, the forum serves as a productive, lively platform to discuss all aspects of the EU-Ukraine relationship, the reform process (including legislative approximation with the EU in the framework of implementation of Association Agreement) and security situation in Ukraine, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

The Committee has developed a system of specialisation for its members, who work in tandem to monitor specific policy areas.

The Committee's members aim to spur successful democratic and economic reforms in Ukraine and the country's closer integration with the EU.

Origins of the Parliamentary Association Committee

This legal basis of the Committee lies in the Association Agreement between the by the EU and Ukraine, signed on 27 June 2014.

Article 467 of the agreement describes the setup and the purpose of the Committee.

Article 467 of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine

Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine

Article 467

1. A Parliamentary Association Committee is hereby established. It shall be a forum for Members of the European Parliament and of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to meet and exchange views. It shall meet at intervals which it shall itself determine.

2. The Parliamentary Association Committee shall consist of Members of the European Parliament, on the one hand, and of Members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, on the other.

3. The Parliamentary Association Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure.

4. The Parliamentary Association Committee shall be chaired in turn by a representative of the European Parliament and a representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine respectively, in accordance with the provisions to be laid down in its rules of procedure.